For safety and efficiency reasons, aircraft routing is commonly along predetermined air routes or great circle routes. Predetermined air routes are often aligned with ground-based navigational aids. In some cases, air routes circumvent geographical regions. Great circle routes, on the other hand, promise shorter flight distances.
Weather affects both the efficiency and the safety of a particular flight. Aircraft efficiency improves with favorable winds. In suitable tailwinds, ground speed increases and fuel consumption drops. Reduced fuel consumption often means that additional revenue-generating payload can be carried. Increased ground speed means that flight times are reduced resulting in operational cost savings.
Similarly, hazardous weather can impose a wide variety of costs on aircraft operations. Such costs can range from an uncomfortable ride for passengers at the low end, to structural damage, and even loss of aircraft and lives, at the other extreme. Aircraft operators typically go to great length to avoid hazardous weather.
In addition, certain geographical and political regions are covered by restricted airspace. Certain regions are preferably avoided by aircraft because costly over flight fees may be imposed.
Achieving a desired arrival time is important because it allows the operator to more accurately schedule flights and enjoy greater operational efficiency. Aircraft operating on pre-determined air routes or great circle routes may be forced to make costly adjustments to airspeed in order to meet scheduling requirements.
Typical flight path routing fails to consider operational costs associated with atmospheric phenomena, hazardous weather avoidance, region avoidance and arrival time constraints. There exists a need for a system that addresses these shortcomings.